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to this day in 1989, twenty-nine years ago, and a wide brimmed hat I don’t recall seeing before. The late Princess of Wales donned this shallow crowned design in deep purple, with a coordinating Catherine Walker coat, for a visit to St.Bride’s Church in London.

On Friday, Queen Máxima was in Rotterdam to attend the naming ceremony of the dredger VOX Amalia. For this event, she repeated her avocado felt hat with flat crown and wide, cartwheel brim trimmed with Petersham ribbon brim binding, hatband, and back bow.

We saw this hat less than a month ago, paired with the same hounds tooth check coat. Friday’s outing also included the chartreuse silk dress worn with this hat at its debut…. while I want the combination of green-ish items to work, I’m afraid the mix of shades and sheens is a bit to unconnected for the ensemble to read harmonious for me. Styling aside, the shape and scale this a great hat for Máxima

Kensington Palace and Clarence House shared this year’s Christmas greetings from the Sussexes (taken at their wedding), the Cambridge family and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall (taken in their garden at Clarence House).

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of York visited the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn yesterday in London. For this visit, she repeated her vibrant orchid purple hat with domed crown trimmed with a pair of large red feathers.

We’ve seen this hat enough to quickly admire its punchy colour scheme and subtle brim shape (it’s shorter ’round the back). The photos today, however, give a closer look at the workmanship- there is not a pucker or stitch to be seen. Sometimes, beauty is in what is not seen and the perfectly sewn brim edging on this piece is testament to this.

Numerous foreign visits and a major royal wedding brought us an unusual number of new hats this fall, many of which were greatly admired. We’re going to look back at these beauties and choose one to be put forward in our countdown to your Favourite New Royal Hat of 2018.

There were 13 new royal hats worn in September and October which, based on your comments stood out as particularly successful. It is now time to take a closer look at the varied designs in this lineup and choose your top pick.

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat. Here are the thirteen hats you most admired in September and October, shown in the order they were worn:

With a major royal wedding and numerous state visits this fall, I have been remiss in keeping up with our hat polls. Without further ado, we’re going to jump back a few months and take a second look at the most successful repeated hats we saw in October and November and choose our favourite.

There were seven repeated designs which, based on your comments, received particularly positive feedback; from this group, we now choose a single design to be put forward as a finalist for Readers’ Favourite Repeated Royal Hat of 2018.

Please click on each caption link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat. Here are these seven finalists for October and November, shown in the order they were worn:

On Monday, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima welcomed the President of Cape Verde, Jorge Carlos Fonseca and his wife Lígia Dia, on a visit to Amsterdam. For their official welcome, Queen Máxima wore a new cuffed calot hat in the same sapphire blue wool as her coat.

The vibrant colour is great on Máxima and the punchy combination with her emerald dress and jewels is a good one. The close fitting calot seems to be a complimentary silhouette to the boxy coat- and its the boxy coat that lets the ensemble down, preventing the look from appearing truly polished. Recut the coat and maybe we’ll have something here.